The Great Bear
by Hawki
Summary: Oneshot: Ursa. A pair of constellations as seen from Earth, a moon as seen from Korhal. Yet looking up at it, Valerian saw something else...


**The Great Bear**

Ursa was a full moon tonight.

There was no missing it. Even if he'd still been in Augustgrad, even if he'd been experiencing the effects of light pollution, the moon would have still shone. But even with all the stars in Korhal's sky, it was Ursa that caught Valerian's eye. Large. Dominating. Hanging over the current emperor of the Terran Dominion, no matter wherever he was on Korhal. Like other things. And other people. One in particular.

_You up there father? _Valerian thought to himself, reclining in his seat and toying with the idea of pouring himself another brandy. _Are you Ursa now? One bear among another? Always looking over your cub?_

Valerian had always thought himself to be a panther. Sleek. Self-sufficient. More inclined to stalking and outmanoeuvring his foe rather than relying on brute force to achieve his ends. But right now, in the months after his father's death, he had to wonder. He was free, yet felt trapped. He felt like a cub, unable to reach for the honey that was right in front of him. Granted, you didn't get bears in the Koprulu sector, and the prison ships hadn't brought many bees with them, but still, the analogy remained in his mind.

And perhaps deep down, even after all that had happened, he missed his father as well.

"Val? You alright?"

The emperor ignored the voice. He felt alone, so he might as well _be _alone as well. Here in his resort, erected on where the old Mengsk Summer Villa had once stood. He needed an escape from Augustgrad. From the Dominion. From the prying eyes of his subjects, his generals and above all, the press.

"Val, I'm coming out…"

Except one of their number. Funny how things worked like that.

The balcony door slid open as Kate walked out. The only reporter he could stand to be in the company of right now. The only person who called him "Val." Emperor Valerian, Mister Mengsk, "Junior" as Raynor had last called him…but no, "Val" was her word for him. Maybe she thought it cute. Maybe due to the informality of the last few months, "Valerian" had become too stuffy. Either way, she was here. Standing behind him, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"Nice night," she said, leaning down and kissing the young man on the cheek. "Almost forgot what the stars looked like."

Valerian grunted. He hadn't brought her along for the ride to state the obvious.

Still, as he watched Kate take her own seat, he had to wonder why she was here at all. He was the emperor of the largest terran power in the Koprulu sector, and therefore in a position to do whatever the hell he wanted. If he wanted physical comfort, he could get any number of whores to accompany him and no-one would give a damn. If he wanted _emotional _comfort…well, that was harder to satiate. There was his grandfather on Umoja, but apart from old Ailin, he was without family, and no matter what camaraderie he might have with the likes of Warfield or heck, even Raynor, he felt without friends as well. But somehow, in the midst of it all, Kate was the person he felt content with being with. One moment he was flirting with her casually over UNN, the next he was yearning for her company. And despite all expectations, she seemed quite reciprocal to it.

"Come on Val, talk to me," Kate said suddenly, interrupting Valerian's thoughts.

"I'm fine."

"Then why are you here?" she asked. "Why are you away from Augustgrad? Why are you still running?"

Valerian snorted. "You pumping me, Kate?" he murmured. "Fishing for the info that'll make your career."

"Or break it," she said, getting up. "Trust me Val, I'm at a lot more risk being here than you are."

That was true, Valerian thought to himself. No matter how low his people thought of him, he couldn't sink further than his father had. Not after his deeds at Tarsonis being revealed. Not after his willingness to sacrifice his people to Kerrigan just so he could escape with his own head. Arcturus might have been the Dominion's first emperor, but Valerian supposed that if it existed long enough for the Mengsk Family to become a bona fide dynasty, he'd always be the most infamous of them all. In contrast, Kate had her integrity to keep.

"Come on Val, what's the problem?"

"That!" he snapped, gesturing up at Ursa. "That's the bloody problem!"

Kate stared at him, and he couldn't blame her.

_Fekking hell, I haven't drunk that much have I? _he wondered, glancing at the brandy. He hadn't touched it since…he last touched it.

_Maybe I have…_

Or maybe other things were clouding his vision. Either way, he had to get them out.

"Ursa," Valerian said morosely. "The bear."

"Bear?" Kate asked.

Valerian nodded. "Old Earth word. Latin. Ursa, as in bear. Ursa as in two constellations one could see from Old Earth apparently-Ursa Major and Ursa Minor." He chuckled. "Ursa the Bear. Arcturus the Bear. Always looking down on me. I can't…er, _bear _it."

Kate snorted, humouring him. Or at least he hoped so. Anyone who was genuinely amused at such a bad pun was obviously brain-panned.

"I can't escape him," Valerian went on. "I mean, I thought I did good, neutralizing the zerg, only for those zerg to take out a despot. But no, the people are _glad _he's gone. The zerg are bloody heroes!"

"Val…"

"I'm sick of it," Val said. "On one hand, I can't escape my father's shadow. I'll forever be the prince who simply stood in to take over where daddy left off. He's like the bloody moon Kate. He'll always be hanging over me. I'll always be the cub of the Dominion."

Kate opened her mouth, then closed it. Valerian didn't know what she was going to say, but he had an idea. She was going to point out the obvious part that even now, part of him missed his father. As any son or daughter would. Even now, he missed his mother. Despite being still alive, he missed his grandfather. Arcturus was far away from the Pasteur branch of his family tree but even so, Valerian still felt connected…sort of.

And at the end of the day, he didn't know whether he could sever that branch, or even should.

He looked up at Kate, his throat burning and not only because of alcohol. He didn't know what he was doing. Was this going to end up the same way it had with his father and mother. A fling, a fuck, and nine months later, an illegitimate heir to the throne running around? Certainly if that was the case, he didn't feel it in him to do anything about it. Not when Kate walked over to him. Not when she sat on his lap. Not when she began kissing him.

"Maybe you are a bear," she whispered. "Maybe you're not the panther."

Valerian remained silent.

"But maybe that's for the best," she continued, still keeping her touch tender.

"Why?"

"Because bears don't have to be alone."

Valerian opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't get it out as Kate's mouth met his. And in that moment, he forgot what he was going to say.

As moonlight shone upon them, maybe there was nothing left to be said anyway.


End file.
